Chapter 4
In this chapter we learn more about the dark skinned stable buck, who has been previously mentioned but has until now been a mystery. Summary While everyone else seems to be away, Lennie approaches Crooks and after a brief moment of angry hesitation on Crooks' part, they get into a conversation about Lennie and George's future. Crooks however manages to scare Lennie with tales of betrayal on George's part which annoys Lennie but once again they sort out their differences and end up on amiable terms. So amiable on fact that despite being threatened for insulting Lennie and George's trust by Lennie, Crooks decides that he would like to live with Lennie and George in future as Candy walks in and joins their conversation thus persuading him. Curley's wife decides to walk in too and she insults them all and upon being told to leave or her rudeness by Crooks, threatens to 'have him lynched' which causes him to lose all his previous emotion. Eventually the others return and George isn't happy with Lennie for telling others about their plan but Crooks has lost all his enthusiasm due to Curley's wife's threats so he says that he no longer wants a part in their plan. Characters For a brief while Crooks comes out of himself in this chapter to the point where we see who this shy stable-buck is really like. Despite an originally reclusive and hating depiction that we are given at first, Crooks eventually becomes more amiable, talking like a friend to Lennie and Candy who he seems to see as people who do not judge him harshly on his skin colour. When Curley's wife brings him back to the realisation that coloured people were not looked kindly upon by threatening to have him lynched, he retreats back into a shell of a man who is stuck in a life of unfair judgement, all his confidence leaves him at once. Interestingly, Crooks owns a pair of gold spectacles (though whether this was the metal or the colour is up for interpretation) and is capable of reading unlike some of the men presumably. Lennie shows some anger here towards Crooks which is unusual but it could be interpreted as simple defense over George who Crooks was not entirely kind about. Lennie also manages to get himself a new friend despite a bad introduction which shows that his people skills aren't as bad as they may seem. Candy has recovered greatly from the death of his beloved dog in this chapter and in a friendly way tells Crooks of their plans for the future. He seems to be a man who is more capable mentally than may be expected and lives for the future rather than being stuck in the past. Curley's wife on the other hand turns out to be far crueller than was mentioned in the earlier chapters. She insults all three of the men, threatens one and completely ruins the entire conversation between them with no regard for them whatsoever. Finally, George shows more of his defensive side here when he gets annoyed that Crooks found out about his plans for "livin' off the fatta' the land" with Lennie and perhaps Candy. He does not get overly enraged however and calms down quite quickly. He is above such pointless arguments. Setting This whole chapter takes place within the confines of Crooks' small personal room which he has because he 'smells' to the other men. It is implied to be a small place but fits four people with no mention of uncomfortable smallness. Nothing much is mentioned about the room except that it is specially equipped to meet the needs of Crooks but he is not a needy person so it is unremarkable. It is interesting to note however that a 'town' is mentioned so it can be assumed that the ranch is not in the middle of nowhere but in fact has a busier area of denser houses and lots of people nearby. Themes and Writing Style Chapter 4 shows to the reader a whole new side and theme of the story: racism. When we meet Crooks, a man of dark skin, we start to understand more about the racial inequality on the ranch. The word "Nigger" is consistantly used throughout the chapter to constantly remind us of this racism. Nearer the end of the chapter we are shown just how bad this is through the use of "Listen, Nigger. You know what I can do if you open your trap?" This shows that he has little or no freedom and control at the ranch, as Curley's wife, previously shown to have no freedoms, can tell him exactly what to do. The theme of friendship between George and Lenny still exists in this chapter, however it feels as if it is slightly wavering as we start to see less of the two of them together; George goes into town while Lenny stays back at the ranch. This starts to suggest that the two of them are moving apart and almost foreshadows something is going to happen. Conclusion and Final Comment So, this chapter adresses racism on the ranch, showing the direct impact on Crook's life through his actions regarding other characters. This also begins to show how other characters, including those of other cultures and skin colours, all want to live George and Lenny's "American Dream."